ISLAMABAD Oct 18: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) on Monday decided that Maulana Fazlur Rahman, in his capacity as leader of the opposition and chief minister of the NWFP Akram Khan Durrani will not attend the National Security Council (NSC) meeting convened on Oct 22.

The MMA's central executive, parliamentary leaders from the four provinces and office-bearers held a detailed meeting here to deliberate on the situation arising from the passage of bill to allow General Musharraf to retain COAS office.

It endorsed the earlier decision of holding four big public rallies the first on Nov 26 in Karachi, the second in Multan on Dec 5, third at Lahore on Dec 12 and last on Dec 19 in Rawalpindi.

The religious alliance decided to make every effort to take the entire opposition including the ARD and other parties along in the upcoming drive against General Musharraf.

It decided that Qazi Hussain Ahmed, Maulana Fazlur Rahman, Hafiz Hussain Ahmed, Liaqat Baloch and Sahibzada Abul Khair Mohammad Zubair will represent the alliance in its talks with the ARD on adoption of common line of action.

The alliance observed that the MMA had given General Musharraf a safe exit through passage of 17th Amendment but the General had failed to avail this opportunity and was bent upon subverting the Constitution.

The MMA has decided that it will start a country-wide mass mobilization campaign which will be followed by a movement which will be continued till achievement of its objectives.

The alliance said that General Musharraf has backed out from his promise which he had made with the nation to hang his army uniform before Dec 31 next and his reversal of that decision would affect the image of entire army in the eyes of the nation.

The meeting presided over by Qazi Hussain Ahmed unanimously decided that its representatives would not attend the NSC meeting since the religious alliance felt that the government had deviated from the constitutional provisions by bringing the NSC through an act and latest bill which gave General Musharraf legitimacy to remain COAS and president at the same time.

The alliance representatives had abstained the earlier meeting of the NSC which had angered General Musharraf. The deputy secretary-general of the MMA Liaqat Baloch told Dawn after the meeting that the alliance would like to enter into coalition with the ARD provided the latter made its own intentions clear.